Shoulder pain got you in a pinch?

Are you getting shoulder pain when pushing or lifting overhead?

Your shoulder is a complex joint. It is designed to be flexible and achieve almost any kind of movement. For this reason, it is not designed to be strong.

With the way our lives are designed today, we are required to do a lot more lifting and pushing that what our bodys are made to do. You will adapt over time but this adaptation may lead to some issues.

But first, let’s look into the anatomy. 

The shoulder girdle is made up of a lot of muscles. The main muscles that move your arm include your pectoralis, deltoids and latissum dorsi. There are lots of smaller muscles that stabilize the shoulder when you move it. These muscles are called the rotator cuff. 

What you may not know is that the shoulder girdle is in a delicate balance between these muscles working together. When you move your arm, muscles need to coordinate to make sure that the shoulder blade and humorous move in unison. This is called scapulo-humeral rhythm. 

When the anterior (front) shoulder muscles overpower the posterior (back) muscles, this can lead to the humerus gliding forward in the shoulder joint. This can cause a pinching sensation at the front of the shoulder, known as anterior impingement syndrome. 

Unfortunately, this impingement can irritate the surrounding structures (such as the bursa) and lead to inflammation (bursistis). Your stabilising muscles will then work harder and can wear down with time, leading to rotator cuff tendinopathy or a rotator cuff tear.

Sound like you?

Well there is an easy fix and it does NOT involve stretching.

Here is a video of 6 exercise you can do to strengthen and improve activation of the posterior muscles of the shoulder. Give them a go for a week or two. 

If you still find that you aren't improving, click here to book or give us a call on 0402 832 329 and we can work on it together. 

Good luck.

Thank you for your time.

Warm regards,